


Theta Sigma Beta

by hippiearchaeologist



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Calderon Beta, Episode: Night and the Doctor e03 First Night, Episode: Night and the Doctor e04 Last Night, F/M, Young!River
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-09 19:28:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6920062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hippiearchaeologist/pseuds/hippiearchaeologist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on First Night/Last Night.</p><p>Calderon Beta. Boring, planet of the chip shops. But there's a 400 foot tree growing out of a cliff top on the north side of a mountain in the middle of the sea. And if you take the lift to the top and look up, at exactly 12 minutes past midnight on the 21st of September, 2360, you can see more stars in one sky that at any other moment in the history of the universe. It’s like daylight, only magic.</p><p>River's first night in prison. Her and the Doctor's wedding night. Their first proper date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Theta Sigma Beta

It had been one _hell_ of a long day. After k- after the beach, she’d gone back into the water where the Silence had been waiting for her. Waiting to congratulate her and finally, _finally_ let her go. Granted, they were letting her go in the sense that she was going to prison to serve for what would likely be the remainder of her life, but honestly? She didn’t care. It was the biggest relief breaking free of the torment she’d been subjected to for all 39 years of her life so far. Was it 39? With all the time travelling and trauma from when she was a child she wasn’t really sure. She could’ve still been in her 20s for all she knew, or (god forbid) she could’ve been pushing 50.

She’d had to have a hearing, still. A remarkably short one - twas a mere formality, of course - but it had still been unpleasant. There was no point in pleading anything other than guilty, and her relative honesty had sped things along, but the looks of contempt, hatred and fear by the jurors had been enough to make her lip wobble slightly. 

Her comfort had been that she was now, of course, not just River Song, but _Mrs_ River Song. The wedding was in a universe that now didn’t exist, but hey, he hadn’t said it was any less valid. Time Lords probably did that sort of stuff all the time when they were around. Of course it counted in his eyes too.

Right? 

Shaking her insecurities away, she studied the cell she was now in. She’d been in worse, of course, but it was going to be a long night and a restless sleep. Curling up as comfortably as she could on the cot, River closed her eyes and reflected upon the past few days.

\-- 

Calderon Beta. That was where they were headed. Honestly, when she’d made her flirty suggestion that they didn’t use their time to read, she’d mostly been listening to her stomach. She’d slept through whatever dinner they served at Stormcage, and she hadn’t eaten since the day prior.

“You’ll be the death of me.” She said, brushing past him. Missing his forlorn expression, she spun around, pursing her lips for a second before continuing. “Quite literally, honey, unless I get my hands on some food.”

Shaking his head and turning to his lovely wife, he suggested they stopped at another planet first.

“Sweetie, honestly, after everything that’s happened... the ‘boring planet of the chip shops’ actually sounds remarkably comforting.”

Spluttering slightly with a combination of disgust at the thought of chips and incredulousness at River being so… _boring_ , he blinked a few times before nodding.

“Right. Yes. Of course. Off we pop, then! Oh, and really, do feel free to get dressed if you’d like. Time machine, and all. You have all the time in the world. Our bedroom’s down that corridor, third door on the left if you’d like proper privacy.”

“ _Our_ bedroom?” River asked with a wink, brushing past him again on her way to get changed, making extra sure to accidentally-on-purpose press their hips together.

Blushing slightly, the Doctor turned back to the console, fiddling with the controls and taking them to one of the few restaurants he actually knew by name on the planet. It wasn’t anything special, but it did boast a large variety of seasonings and was open all night.

When they landed, the Doctor straightened his bow tie in the mirror, brushing his (too long, he noted with a slight grimace) hair away from his eyes and awaiting River’s return.

God, did that woman know how to make an entrance. Walking up the short flight of stairs to the console, clad in the form-fitting black dress and snakeskin pumps along with a set of classic diamonds... It was more than enough to make him breathless. 

“Well then, are we there?” She enquired impatiently, acting as though she hadn’t completely done the whole ‘practically edible herself’ thing on purpose.

“Um. Yes, yes we are. We’re there. We’re, yep, there.”

Nodding amusedly, she reached out to take his hand and half-dragged him out the door.

\--

Apparently River liked a taste of home, as the good old traditional salted chips had been her choice. She’d asked for two takeaway trays in such a bashful way (God, she was adorable this young) that he couldn’t have denied her for anything.

“What’s the rush?” The Doctor cheekily asked, snatching the second tray off her in an attempt to ensure she didn’t throw up and miss the main event.

“Mmstaahvin,” mumbled River in a garbled expression of her hunger, trying and failing to one-handedly swipe the food back off him. It really was quite an incongruous (and hilarious) vision: his wife in such elegant attire shovelling chips into her mouth at an inhuman speed.

Tutting at her, the Doctor reached under the console and unhooked a bottle he’d stored there in preparation for the night.

“Pop from the Dalx district of the planet Ardon in the 130th Century, though it’s technically more like a wine. One of the only ones I’ve ever liked, though that’s a bit of a spoiler.” He answered in response to her questioning glance, leaning slightly more forward and flipping the switch that would finally take them to their destination.

\--

They were meant to arrive at the bottom of the lift at 11:50pm; they would’ve had just enough time to travel up, settle into a comfortable position, pour a glass of the ‘pop’ and relax before the stars took their breath away.

“10, 11, what’s the difference?” The Doctor sheepishly asked as he studied the still-dark sky, his eyes pointedly not meeting River’s.

“A whole hour, sweetie.” River kindly explained. “Not that I mind too much. I’m just wondering how on earth we’re going to pass the time.” A flirty wink at the end of her suggestion was rewarded by an adorable, embarrassed blush as he poured - and very nearly spilt - her drink.

“Just... just sit down and get comfortable, okay? I don’t want you getting a cramp in the next hour, you’re terrible with them and they always get in the way.” There was an intimate outdoor loveseat setup, complete with a candle in the middle of the coffee table.

“Mmm,” River sighed, “Spoilers? Though, sweetie, that was a _tad_ closer to the perfect sentence.”

Another blush from the Doctor left River wondering about their relationship in the future - _her_ future, rather. He was always responsive to her advances, no doubt about it... but responsive in the wrong way. Was it destined to be like this forever?

She covered her apprehension by sitting on one half of the comfortable seat and taking a sip of her drink; it was quite odd, but in a very good way. At first it was light and sparkling like champagne or a regular fizzy drink, but that soon gave way to a depth that reminded her of melted chocolate.

“Mmmm. It’s exquisite, sweetie!” River enthused.

“I’m glad you approve, my dear.” The Doctor said softly, pouring his own glass before moving his chair alongside hers, sitting down, his arm sliding behind her back and around her waist.

Settling in, River couldn’t resist asking if he’d actually brought a book.

Nearly choking on his drink and blushing - what was it with that man and blushing? - he took his time swallowing before stammering out, “Well, no, see, what it is was that you _distracted_ me with that comment before and I just, I just _forgot_ okay? I can go and get a book if you’d like. I wasn’t getting any other ideas. Oh no no, not me. Not the Doctor. Just simply forgo-mmmf” River pecked him on the lips to quieten him as she dug around her bag for her diary.

“This. You have one of these diaries, right? One with writing in it. Have you got it?” At his nod, she continued, “You could read that.”

 

He refilled their glasses, grinning cheekily. “Spoilers, wife.” River’s breath hitched the tiniest bit as she was put more at ease. The wedding HAD counted.

“Ahh, spoilers. I don’t get even the tiniest hint?”

“Not a chance,” he replied, booping her on the nose.

And gosh, the pop really was a _lot_ like wine, wasn’t it? She felt all fluffy and he was really, _really_ warm where they were snuggled together, and how long had they been cuddling like that?

“So Doctor. Doctor, Doctor, Doctor.” She wrinkled her nose as the word “Doctor” started to resemble some foreign, meaningless assortment of sounds from saying it too much. “You realise that this is our wedding night and I still have yet to even be kissed properly.”

Pupils slightly dilated, the Doctor murmured, “Well we have to rectify that, don’t we?”

And then they were kissing, one hand cupping her face while the other supported her back as he directed her out of her chair and lay her down on the soft moss-covered wooden ground. 

She was clinging to his lapel, making soft, pleasured noises as his lips parted slightly so he could take her bottom lip in between his teeth. Good God did this man know how to kiss her... but then, of course he did. She had... she _would_ teach him.

Pushing the thought from her mind, her hands travelled downwards, pushing his dinner coat off his shoulders before it got stuck halfway down his arms. Frowning into the kiss, she pulled away and rolled them so she was on top, finally able to pull the (rather lovely, she had to admit) jacket off him.

She started to unbutton his shirt when he gripped her wrists. “Eager, are we?” He quipped, winking.

Grinding her hips down against his growing erection, she cocked an eyebrow. “You tell me, sweetie”, she purred.

The familiar embarrassed blush was starting to creep back. River was slightly dismayed - how drunk did she have to get the man before he found her attractive that way? Pouring salt on the wound, the Doctor tightened his grasp on her wrists and pulled her hands away from his shirt, pushing them both up into a sitting position.

“It’s already half past 11. Look.” Directing her attention to the sky, she could see there were stars starting to appear.

“How come it was dark when we arrived? Surely if it’s going to be _that_ amazing it’d already be brighter by now.”

“Well, River, as any archaeology student should know-”

“Just because archaeology and astronomy start with the same letter, sweetie-”

“Hush. Calderon Beta is essentially at the edge of the universe. Almost every star there is is out facing only half of the planet at once. It’s on an incredibly short rotation period, too, so the stars are only visible for a few hours, tops. And tonight is special. This point, where we are now, is the highest in the planet. The less elevated parts of Calderon are always foggy, so even at night the stars aren’t very visible. Tonight, though, this point right here will be facing the exact right direction to see all those stars. It really is breathtaking, and you’ve got that face on again.”

Breaking her out of her enrapture, she shook her head confusedly.

“The ‘he’s hot-’ ahh, never mind. Spoilers.”

“Well, you aren’t wrong.” She flirted.

The Doctor responded with a chaste kiss. Too chaste. River couldn’t keep it in anymore. Drawing a breath, she hesitantly asked, “Doctor? It’s... it’s our wedding night. A honeymoon, of sorts. I know it’s spoilers, but... if not tonight of all the times... does that mean never?”

The Doctor looked bemused for a second before his eyes widened in understanding.

“No. No no no no no no no, River, that’s not. That’s not it.” He rested his forehead against hers for a second. “You deserve better-”

“I don’t want _better_ , though, I want you!”

“No, not like that, though your eagerness is, well, rather nice actually. I mean... it’s our wedding night. Your first night in Stormcage - well, not really _in_ Stormcage, but you know what I mean. It’s... you deserve better than on the ground on a foreign planet because we’re both a bit tipsy. Better than... rushed, because now we only have twenty minutes. You deserve to be treated with as much reverence as these stars are.”

Her eyes, curse her, were watering slightly and her mouth was slightly open. Speechless, she gave a little amazed giggle before pulling him closer than two people should, by all the laws of physics, be able to be.

When they’d extracted all their entangled limbs, there was a cheerier, less sexually charged atmosphere. River no longer felt like she had to push her flirting to force him to notice her.

They chatted easily from then on, passing half an hour in what felt like the blink of an eye, River gazing at the Doctor with a relaxed fondness.

“River, shut your eyes.” He instructed, at 12:08. She obeyed; he rewarded her with a kiss.

“Keep them shut, now.”

And she really did _try_ to be good, but after a few minutes the circles the Doctor was drawing on the back of her hand with his thumb weren’t enough to keep her mind occupied.

Grinning cheekily, River shifted and placed her hand on the Doctor’s crotch. She felt him jump slightly.

“Huh, what’s this?” Her tone was oh-so-innocent. She gave the ‘foreign’ object a squeeze, which resulted in a yelp from the Doctor and a light slap on her hand. “My eyes are shut honey. I’m _so_ sorry.”

“My River. My bad girl,” The Doctor said fondly, “open your eyes.”

She did, and suddenly everything she’d ever been through was worth it, she thought with a gasp. The sky and the landscape of the planet she could see in the distance was _breathtaking_. It was so bright - almost like daylight, but _magic._ The sky was sparkling so many different colours, and the light was refracting through the atmosphere of Calderon, making the air around her look like glitter, too.

“Oh Doctor,” River breathed. “ _Thankyou._ ”

“Yes, well, I figured it beats staring at prison cell walls.”

River hummed, squeezing the Doctor’s hand.

“You aren’t looking at the sky,” River questioned.

The Doctor smiled fondly. “I’m looking at something even more beautiful.”

That earned him a light smack and River’s first blush.

“I mean it! River. My River. The stars are dim compared to you.”

And damnit, the man was deliberately making her tear up.

“Are you always so soppy, or is this just because you’re so _old_?” River quipped, winking.

“Oi! I am not _old_.” The Doctor’s indignation was positively adorable.

“Mm? Prove it, old man.”

“Just you wait.” He whispered in her ear, his breath on her neck. _God,_ did he know what he was doing to her? Then again, she’d always known she was more sensitive than most... But of course the Doctor would know that too. Proving her point, he gave her neck a light nip before straightening up again.

“How long left?” She asked, torn between thoroughly enjoying the view in front of her and wanting to go back to the TARDIS and thoroughly enjoy a very different kind of view.

“About 10 minutes, if I’m right. Which I always am.”

“Mmhm. Actually, sweetie? Do you have a phone on you at all?”

He made a confused sound at that. “I usually just go _talk_ to someone if I want to talk to them. Or use the psychic paper. Why? Is this _old man_ boring you?”

She laughed softly. “No, no, though I fully intend to capitalise on any doubts you may have. I do look forward to you making it up to me. Actually, I was just wondering if I could film this.”

And that apparently was the wrong thing to say, as a horrified expression took over the Doctor’s face as he remembered something. Clearing his throat, he raggedly whispered “ _spoilers.”_

 _“_ Ah. I look forward to it. Shame, though.” The Doctor hummed, assenting but obviously still plagued by whatever exciting story she had yet to live.

The couple continued their odd conversation, sipping at the last few splashes of pop, until the sky went dark again. River sighed in utter contentment, her hand looping around the Doctor’s back. 

Snuggling in a little closer, she tilted her head up to give her husband a well-earned kiss filled with love and gratitude.

The two leisurely made their way back into the lift to go down again, holding hands and swinging them gently as they walked.

“So. How’d that do for a first night in prison?”

“Well I think the guards might have some complaints.”

“They get used to it.”

“Spoilers, Doctor!”

“Please. I already said River Song walks in and out like the walls aren’t there. And you, my dear, are River Song. They’re bound to get used to it.”

River bit her lip excitedly. She’d been River Song for a while, of course, but she’d been so focused on her archaeology that she hadn’t been doing anything half exciting at all. She was beginning to really look forward to her new life. Her new life with the Doctor.

When they reached the bottom of the mountain where the TARDIS was parked, the Doctor clicked his fingers, opening the doors.

“Suave. I’m impressed!”

“Just you wait.” And he scooped her up bridal style, carrying her in through the doors and up through the console room before pausing and whispering, “your turn.”

River clicked her fingers, positively buzzing with glee when the doors swung shut. The Doctor set her down, grabbing her hand again and leading her down the corridor that she knew led to their bedroom.  When they passed two doors on the left, she knew that was exactly where they were going. Heat began to pool in her abdomen as she thought of what was going to happen. But-

“Wait, Doctor, what about my parents!?” River whispered, alarmed.

“I told you, they’re asleep, don’t worry. They only went to bed half an hour before I picked you up. Why, scared they’ll _hear_?” And God, that was more like it. No more blushing.

“Hear what?” She asked innocently, the only thing giving her away being the mischievous glimmer in her eyes she so often sported.

Bending down as they reached the door to their bedroom, he whispered in her ear. “One very, _very_ pleasured wife.”

The Doctor swung open the door, revealing her old clothes strewn across the floor. He raised an eyebrow as he stepped in the room.

“I figured my clothes were going to end up there anyway. Was I wrong?” She winked.

“Absolutely not.” And then he was kissing her again, and oh God it was delicious. His hands were tangled in her hair as her hands flew to his shirt, unobstructed this time, and he just managed to close the door behind them with his foot before they were both very, _very_ unconcerned with doors and parents.

And if Amy and Rory _did_ hear any of the incredibly loud, incredibly pleasured sounds coming from the Doctor and River’s bedroom, they didn’t mention it the next day.

 

 


End file.
